Fixed Gear

People have been asking about a review on the Redline 925. I actually wrote one a while ago for another site. But here’s an update on how well the 925 has been doing in the past 9 months.

My Redline 925 went from this…

To this…

I took off all the fenders, guards, rear brake and replaced it with my custom bars, XTR brake lever and clipless pedals.

I’ve been riding the 925 for a long time now. In fact this is my first fixed gear bike and probably my last(because I’d hate to ride another fixie…).

For those of you wondering what the big deal about the Redline 925 is, well it’s this simple; the bike is really fun to ride.

No matter who ever tries out this bike, the all fall in love with it. Moe and Priscilla rode it and now they both want one! At the Ride of Silence, a couple of the guys there test rode the 925 and both claimed that the bike rode really nice. Another thing most people say about the Redline is that it has a “softer ride.” No, the tires were not low in air pressure. But the over all feel of the bike is very forgiving.

I’ve ridden road bikes before and they are harsh when it comes to the vibrations and over all road conditions that bicycle wheels have to roll through. But with the Redline 925, yes you still feel things, but it’s not that brutal. I suppose it’s the steel frame…you know what they say; “Steel is Real!” That saying might just be the ticket to why this bike feels so good.

The 42×15 gearing allows me to fly on the flats and even climb some of the local hills in my area. I’ve yet had the desire to change my gearing on this bike because of the fact that it’s I’m neither spinning too much nor having a hard time spinning. This gearing even allows me to stop skid easily…I’m getting better at it!

Another great strength the Redline 925 has is taking off the line at the stop light. I’ve had many occasions where I am waiting for a light to change and once it turns green, I mash on the pedals and zoom through the intersection. I remember pulling up to lycra wearing roadie at a light, I said good morning to him, he sizes me up and has this bewildered look on his face as he’s grazing over my bike with his eyes. The light turned green, I mash on the pedals and leave the dude behind…

To me, being able to dash out of an intersection rather quickly is a big plus. Sometimes you just need that boost to help you get your momentum up or to assert your place in traffic.

Problems:
None what so ever! I’ve yet to experience any mechanical problems with the bike. Well, actually I’ve had to true my front wheel once, but that was because I hit a pothole. As long as you perform basic bicycle maintenance, you’ll be fine.

Summary:
This bike kicks ass, and it’s totally affordable at $499! If you want a fixie/SS at a low price, then get the Redline 925. You will NOT be disappointed! Oh and one more thing, I LOVE their logo…

As I was riding back to my mom’s (that’s where I leave my kids and park the truck) on Friday, I noticed that the rear of the Swobo Sanchez was wiggling. I slowed down and stopped and noticed that my rear tire was really low on air. I was about 1/2 mile away from my final destination, so instead of changing the tube, I grabbed my SealnFlate can (sort of like a fix-a-flat) and tried to inflate the tire.

For whatever reason, the SealnFlate did not work, it actually made it worse by sucking whatever little air I had left on my tire. Fine, I still had my CO2 pump in my Deuter Backpack that I usually carry when I go mountain biking. I hook up my CO2 pump to the tire, push the trigger and… nothing, no pssss, nothing… WTF? Oh crap, I remembered that last time I went mountain biking at night with RL and Priscilla RL got a flat and I offered my CO2 pump.

So, I was SOL. I ended up walking the last half mile to my mom’s house since I didn’t want to call my sister to pick me up. (Grace was working Bingo that night). So I will make sure that I carry my mini-pump from now on and forget about those ‘fix-a-flat’ in a can doo-dads and the CO2 pump.

I rode my Swobo Sanchez to work for the first time. Last time I rode a fixed gear bike to work was back in January, getting into the fixie groove took me a couple of miles but I then “became one” with my bike.

First impression of my bike: I LOVE IT. I need to do a couple of saddle/seatpost adjustments, but this bike rides really smooth. I really like my flat handlebar setup, I may keep it.

”

I also rode with the knickers that Randy made for us awhile back, Randy did an awesome job and I really dig the knickers. I’m really looking forward to the ride back home.

This morning at 1:30am I hopped on my Redline 925 and headed to work. This is the first time that I actually would ride the whole distance from my home in Fullerton to my office in Irvine. I think the total distance one way would have been around 23+ miles. I made sure I was going to be visible to the motorist out there so I set my bike up with a rear blinkie, my Down Low Glow from Fossil Fool and my Fox Fury Head light. Oh and I wore my Velo Tees yellow T shirt to be extra visible. Ofcourse I used the new Banjo Brothers Commuter Back Pack.

The whole trip took me about an hour and a half. At one point I started questioning my self asking…”why am I doing this?” Reason being…I could still be in bed, it only takes me 30 minutes by car and I don’t have to deal with weirdos out there.

So after I told the voices to shut up, I got to my office. Luckily the security guard that is normally asleep when I get there, was actually on his patrol. With that said, I rolled my bike into the building. Heck I wasn’t going to leave it at the bike racks for someone to steal.

Elevator shot.

Here’s the 925 in its nightie (lights and all)

I did bring my lock, but I just didn’t want to leave it alone outside. So I decided to hide my bike under my desk. All I had to do was remove my seat post and front tire and it fits perfectly!

After work will be another story since Priscilla and the girls will be at the beach this afternoon. I figured I’ll head over there on the 925 and meet them at Newport Pier.

All in all, a good ride. I did get quite a bit of people yelling how cool my neon light was…but all that did was freak me out. I know they meant well, but at 1:30am I just don’t trust anyone!